tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72529147739265222392018-03-06T19:15:44.557-05:00sandra's spaceYou only have one life. How do you want to spend it?Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-75885933613126832942016-03-26T22:14:00.002-04:002016-03-26T22:15:42.562-04:00Black versus Blue. God versus Man. Day versus Night.<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">There are many things to talk about re: Batman vs Superman. There’s the plot, the acting and the action. I’ll say right off the bat that this movie is good (3.5/5) but it is a bit bloated at times and I definitely believed it could have been trimmed and still succeed as a great superhero movie.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Characters:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">First, Batman. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I loved how they introduced Batman’s story without taking up too much time. For those 5 people who were not familiar with Bruce Wayne’s backstory and how he became Batman, it was a great introduction that led us straight into the present-day weary angry Bruce Wayne. He was the one that started the philosophical debate of whether Earth needed a God (a hero) named Superman. “God vs Man,” as Lex Luthor spouts. It’s an interesting debate that sprinkled the entire movie from beginning to end. I believe this was needed in a world where Gods fly from above and hold lightning bolts in their hands. It was well done but took up a lot of screen time. The first half of the movie is focused solely on this debate without too much action as we learn what Superman and his friends have been up to in the last 18 months. It needed to be included but it needed to be trimmed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Superman. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I loved seeing how Superman has come along in 1.5 years as he and Lois are living together and maintaining what I consider a very mature relationship; in that he doesn’t try to stop her from doing her job and she doesn’t try to stop him from being Superman (when he needs to be). There’s a great maturity and respect that I love about this relationship. And I cannot wait to see where it goes in Man of Steel 2.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Lois Lane. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">As much as the critics complain about her always getting into trouble and needing rescue, they forget that it’s just her character, that’s what she does, that’s who she is. She goes after the big stories and gets into trouble. Read a comic book. They stayed true (perhaps to a fault) to her character. But, she always shows us her bravery and courage when fighting the good fight. She never backs down. That’s also her character. I think her character was well-written and the love story of Lois and Clark was portrayed extremely well in this movie. It wasn’t shoved in our faces but it did show us what we already knew; that Superman loves Lois and puts her above all else. That was true to their story and I felt it added to this movie. You can’t have Superman without Lois Lane. She was his voice of reason and hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Lex Luthor. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Crazy Lex. Jesse, you did it again. You captured the essence of Lex with a line, a word, a facial expression and a very creepy smile. Luthor’s version of bedtime stories would give adults nightmares. Very well cast. I can’t say enough of this Lex.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Granny’s peach tea? I feel I need to re-watch that scene again as I am certain I missed something very vital to the story. (Relates to the Senate Chamber blowing up – spoiler alert).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Wonder Woman. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I loved Wonder Woman in this movie. I loved how they introduced her story without giving away too much. It certainly sets up well for her own feature movie and makes me very excited for the Justice League Movie. The three SuperFriends fighting Doomsday at the end was pure gold. Wow. Can’t wait for the next movie.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Cameos and Others. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I loved the unexpected cameo of Jonathan Kent. He came at a time when Clark needed his father and it was a wonderful surprise to see him provide his son with wisdom. Martha Kent was also the voice of reason in this movie. More so, as a mother who’s afraid for her son’s safety. She gave us another side of the argument with reason and calm and absolute finality. “You’re either their hero or you’re not.“ Certainly gave Superman pause.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Alfred was delightful as always. A sounding board for his Master when needed and quite the expert at fixing Batman’s toys when Bruce broke them. Which he did a lot. Lol. And than goodness for his sarcasm. This movie is dark and serious and not-so humorous. But Alfred allowed us a little levity once in a while.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Action:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Let’s talk about the action. Good grief. Where to begin. Batman was a tour-de-force in this movie. Most of the fighting belonged to him and it was usually him against many….lol. And, of course, he won..mostly. One of the fights was a nightmare so it probably doesn’t count. But still, have to give credit to the stunt co-coordinators; these fight scenes were intense and off-the-wall. They were really well done. Particularly, the final battle of Batman vs Superman and SuperFriends vs Doomsday. To be fair, Batman cheated. I’m just going to put that out there. The only way to beat Superman was to cripple him with kryptonite. That’s the only way he would’ve won and we all knew it. And so did he. ‘nough said. I really loved how he couldn’t fight Superman once Kent pleaded to save his Mother and literally, in two breaths, became his best friend. That was the best! I never put together the fact that both their Mother’s name was Martha!. Duh. Anyway, apparently that’s all it takes to make two enemies, friends. I buy it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Now, let’s talk about the ultimate fight (that was clearly stolen from the Death of Superman comic). Clearly. But whatever. It is what it is. And it was spectacular. First, I obviously never knew how strong Wonder Woman was because she held her own while Bruce Wayne was being thrown about like a beach ball (very entertaining to watch). You sometimes forget he’s a human in a metal suit. So, they’re battling it out until…wait for it…Superman has to save Lois…lol. Like, we ain’t got time for that!. But, it‘s ok because she found the spear of Krypton (which is the only thing that will defeat Doomsday). So, ok, take a break from battling DoomsDay and go save her. Because then, you get the spear. And you say goodbye….I can’t even talk about what comes next. Did they really just go there in this movie??? I admit to gasping out loud and holding my hands over my mouth in shock. I did not think they would kill Superman. I did not. Nope. But, and this only came to me later, given that this was DoomsDay vs Superman (and friends), it stands to reason that they would follow the plot of the comic book and kill him off. That’s what happens. And the world would mourn Superman and ultimately decided they wanted their hero back. But, well he’s dead so boo on you. But, hey, at least now they all respect him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Am I the only one who totally expected Superman to rise from the dead by the end of the movie?? Good grief, the movie just kept going and going and going then I just said well, hell just let him rise from the dead so these last 20 minutes would have been worth it. I mean, it is the weekend to rise from the dead (yikes!) Kind of disappointed it didn’t happen but looking forward to the Clark/Lois reunion in Man of Steel 2 or Justice League (whichever comes first). And I really really need to know how it happens. Didn’t anyone think of taking Superman’s body to the Fortress of Solitude? No? No one? Really?..ok whatever.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Plot:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">There were a couple of plot-holes that was conveniently placed. I get Superman figured out who Bruce Wayne was (Batman) but how did Wayne figure out he was Clark when Lois came to his rescue.. . I got so lost. Everyone knew everyone’s else secret identity somehow.. I need to re-watch this movie..lol. And seriously, how did Perry White not know Clark Kent is Superman..the man conveniently disappears for a few days and he doesn’t put it together…not a very good reporter. And, really Kent should be fired…but whatever, he’s conveniently dead so we’ll forgive him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">And how did Lex Luthor find out Clark Kent is Superman? I know he has limitless resources but it would have been nice to hear a line, a conversation or a scene where Luthor discovers the Man of Steel’s real identity. Plot hole much?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">There was so much going on in this movie, it definitely deserves a re-watch. I feel Zach Synder tried to fit a lot in this movie and mostly he succeeded. By using Batman as his voice of dissention, he was able to bring God vs Man, hero vs villain to a broader audience. This movie will surely be talked about for a long time to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Overall, I thought this movie was enjoyable and definitely set the stage for the future Justice League movie well without shoving it down our throats. It felt like this was the first part of a 3-part movie. The acting was good, the action and cgi were good and the plot was ok. I mean, it’s Lex Luthor wanting to take over the world story all over again so whatever. It’s been done and it was done here too. It was contrived but Lex sold it. Speaking of, Ben Affleck actually convinced me he’s been Batman all this time. He did an outstanding job. I was surprised (pleasantly) and he has good chemistry with Diana Prince. On a side note, doesn’t this Amazon warrior own her own plane? I kind of thought she did. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I need to give a shout-out to the sound and special effects people who make Superman fly. The swooshing every time he flies out or flies in at Mach (whatever it is now) was quite impressive. Literally made me believe that people can fly. There were quite a few stand-out moments in the movie where I cheered, or gasped out loud (in the good way) or just said WOW. There were moments and scenes that took my breath away and sucked me into believing everything that was happening was real. CGI has come a long way. Made me a believer. I can’t say the same about Wayne’s nightmares…those were just odd. Someone explain Bruce Wayne’s nightmares for me. They were very video-gamey like and weird. Very weird. What did it all mean?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Henry Cavill continues to impress, in the first half of the film as he battles his inner demons and, in the second half, as he battles his outer demons…lol. He’s got the dramatic chops and physicality to make Superman work and he does it with style and wit. This movie made me believe that Superheroes are real. And I want to live in that world.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">3.5/5<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">P.S. Was this movie over-the-top? Yes. It relied too too much on dramatic flair to make a point or end a scene. A few eye-rolls were inevitable in such a heavy undertaking where Batman was made to look like a hero and Superman was made to look like a hero, all to great dramatic flair. Zynder has a flair for the melo-dramatic and it shows. I can forgive it as some of his shots were spectacular and mesmerizing. The shot where Superman stands alone in the exploded Senate house was haunting and Cavill was able to calmly display Superman’s anguish and despair in a very quiet and chilling scene. I applaud Synder for this intensely disquieting scene. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">The meeting of Batman vs Superman was worth the hype. It was. These two have great on-screen chemistry and they both believed in what they were fighting for. It was definitely worth the wait for the final battle where they team up to fight Doomsday. It felt like Saturday morning watching the SuperFriends take on one of their many enemies and fighting together to save the planet. Ah, the good old days.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Although, to be fair. Batman was mad at Superman for killing innocent people but it seemed to me Batman killed a few too, in the process of killing the enemy. So, he’s kind of a hypocrite. Although, most of his anger was taken out on mercenaries, I still felt like his fight with Superman may have killed some innocent people as well. Just sayin. Kettle –&gt; Pot.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #141823; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">This review was all over the place but then this movie was too. It certainly would have helped to edit some of the scenes and make them shorter or put them in different places. This movie could have flowed better overall but, much like Avengers: Age of Ultron, it tried to do too much but still gave us some great action and acting. I’ll be seeing it again. 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mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment--><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-83363205923676000782015-08-13T12:42:00.000-04:002015-08-17T16:39:39.316-04:00live your best lifeThis has never resonated so deeply with me lately. I've lost 3 people to cancer in the last year and my mother is currently living with breast cancer. I wonder if these people all lived their best life. Did they do everything they wanted to in the years they were alive?<br /><br />I don't know.<br /><br />I don't have the answer to that question or a dozen more that follow that one.<br /><br />&nbsp;I guess the only thing I can do is ensure I live my best life. Do what makes me happy. That's all I can do.<br /><br />Which is why I tattooed those 4 words on my ankle on a whim. I needed a daily reminder that life is short and I need to make the best of it.<br /><br />&nbsp;So, here I go.Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-91662235148417722022015-03-09T17:04:00.001-04:002015-03-09T17:06:49.841-04:00Chocolate is addicted to me<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-CA</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> 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gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} </style><![endif]--> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chocolate has a serious obsession with me. Every time I look around, all I see is chocolate – chocolate cookies, chocolate cake, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate chocolate!...argh. It’s in my drawer, on my desk, by the coffee machine, in my purse, by the laptop, in the fridge...I feel it is calling to me and laughing at me at the same time.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I think chocolate’s obsession with me started when I was a child when my parents introduced me to my very chocolate snack (we all blame our parents, you know you do!) and my love-hate relationship with chocolate started. This obsession carried me through the various rites of passage of high school – the good grades, the bad grades, the gossip, the tryouts for various sporting activities, the really hilarious but unsuccessful attempts at cooking in home economics, thesis writing, PROM and the big day - graduation (where we were not valedictorian and we didn’t want to be but secretly we did). Oh chocolate, how you consoled me during those turbulent years!</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And then, came college. College. Really, that word alone sends me back through the wormhole of time to moments that were fun, tedious, stressful, blissful, happy, miserable, daunting, painful and triumphant. I think that pretty much describes College. ‘Nough said. Not enough chocolate to go around.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And then, reality sets it. The 9-5 job. The routine of commuting, working, working out, seeing friends, cleaning house, cooking, watching tv, laundry - the sheer dreariness of finding out that a 9-5 existence is tedious and boring and monotonous and [fill-in-the-blank-with-appropriate-adjective]. The days merged into weeks and the weeks merged into years. Thank goodness there was chocolate!</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, many years later, life is flowing along nicely. There are still routines (some dull, some not so dull), passions are pursued, time with friends are cherished, work is something you do between 9am-5pm so that you can do what you really want from 5pm-12am. Food is enjoyed not rushed, music is listened to not criticized, yoga is used for meditative purposes not just for gossip and laughs. &nbsp;Family time is cherished time. And, through it all, my true friend and companion Chocolate, has stayed by my side and in my desk and in the glove compartment and in the fridge and...</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh, Chocolate! How you get me. Sometimes I think I keep the chocolate industry in business all by myself. And I’m ok with that.&nbsp;</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh, look at the time! Please excuse me. It’s time for my friend Chocolate and I to catch up. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-48910728756350601012014-10-14T12:32:00.004-04:002014-10-14T12:34:56.613-04:00Mount Kilimanjaro: Here I climb!Climbing for those who can't.<br /><br />I am climbing Mt. Kili this coming January to support a worthwhile organization. As such, I am reaching out to all my friends, family, colleagues and perfect strangers to ask for a kind donation and to help me reach the top.<br /><br />It's a great cause and will be an amazing journey. <br /><br />Thank you!<br /><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=113033972042210" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/NABS-Canada/113033972042210">NABS Canada</a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;*N&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/kiliclimbfornabs?source=feed_text&amp;story_id=10154681655345274"><span class="_58cl">‪#‎</span><span class="_58cm">KiliClimbForNABS‬</span></a><br /><br /><span class="_58cm">Donate Link:</span><br /><a href="https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=2626927#&amp;panel1-1"><span class="_58cm">https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=2626927#&amp;panel1-1</span></a><br /><br /><br /><span class="_58cm"></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=2626927#&amp;panel1-1" target="_blank"><img alt="Mount Kilimanjaro" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y40hWHyIops/VD1P2HM3c9I/AAAAAAAAE8o/BVy_AIHBlJE/s1600/image004.jpg" height="106" title="" width="320" /></a></div><br />Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-21768044319571529282014-05-26T21:14:00.002-04:002014-05-26T21:27:52.308-04:00Godzilla Review<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=443771755653234" href="https://www.facebook.com/GodzillaMovie" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;">Godzilla</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px;">&nbsp;was a thoroughly entertaining movie.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px;">For me, it was a smart movie. This is how the military should react when confronted with oversize monsters wrecking havoc on their city. Of course, they're not going to listen to the scientist who knows best, but still it was well-written and well-acted.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 20px;">My only beef was the overlay of cheesy music swelling every time Godzilla hit the screen (enough</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; line-height: 20px;">! already) but overall, entertaining, and the monster fights were done well (without going overboard).<br /><br />This movie played some good psychological games with your mind as remnants of Jurassic Park came to mind as some scenes played out much like they did in that movie (cue to scene of men lying silently on train track as monster roars by beside). People died, people were saved and everyone cheered at the end.<br /><br />See. It. You won't be disappointed.</span></span><br /><div id="UMS_TOOLTIP" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; cursor: pointer; left: -100000px; position: absolute; top: -100000px; z-index: 2147483647;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img class="UMSRatingIcon" id="ums_img_tooltip" /></span></div>Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-64288465393320844802014-05-26T21:07:00.002-04:002014-05-26T21:27:38.401-04:00X-Men: Days of Future Past Review<span style="font-family: inherit;">While I really enjoyed seeing the old and new cast of the X-Mens series in one movie, I felt as if the majority of the movie was not about "The X-Men" but really about 4 people trying to change their fate. For a movie that should encompass a group of individuals working together to fight evil, this movie was surely lacking in that respect.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Not to say there wasn't any teamwork. The older X-Men fighting the Sentinels in the future definitely serve up our "fight" quota for the movie. But it just felt like that was missing from the present when most of the present was being used to get the "gang" back together (really just a couple of people) and stop the ultimate act that would bring on the Sentinel attack in the future. For a revitalized X-Men sequel, it was seriously lacking the new 'X-Men'.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />That aside, kudos to James McAvoy who, I feel, stole the movie. His defeat and anguish of letting down his X-Men was apparent throughout as he struggled to regain his belief that humans and mutants can co-exist together and that all was not lost. His scene with Patrick Stewart was one of the highlights for me. It was great to see him hold his own, and then some, against one of the great thespians of our time. I really wanted to see more of them together…alas.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The fights that were showcased were brilliant, something you would expect from a Bryan Singer movie - over-the-top, explosive, dramatic, intense and satisfying. Jennifer Lawrence manages to really grapple with Mystique's crisis of faith throughout. My one complaint was that Wolverine took up way too much screen time (I understand that this was the logical choice to go back in time) but still, this movie should have been centered on the new X-Men and I just feel he has too much screen time. If I wanted to see a movie about Wolverine, I'd go watch a movie about Wolverine.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />The time-travel story worked well and I enjoyed, and was amused, that this movie essentially wiped out everything that happened in X-Men: The Last Stand (haha). &nbsp;So, everything's back to normal..uh huh. Well, I supposed if you're going to re-write history, do it in style. I do have one lingering question: how did Magneto get his powers back?…I guess we are meant to believe that the mutant cells are still in our mutant heroes and they would eventually come back. I do remember the scene with the chess board so…ok, I can accept that only because of the fact that his powers are used quite awesomely in this movie.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I cannot say enough about QuickSilver. Every time I laughed out loud, QuickSilver was in the scene. While James McAvoy won the drama award in this movie, Evan Peters stole the comedy award. He was absolutely brilliant and his scenes were impressive(!), to say the least. He will be a welcome addition to the third X-Men instalment.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />All in all, an entertaining film. I fangirled over all these amazing actors in one movie even though I felt deprived of seeing any of their characters fleshed out or have any really story. I kinda felt they should have done an after-credit scene where the older X-Men give their younger counterparts advice. That would have been hilarious.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />This movie definitely makes up for that uninspiring 3rd X-Men outing (The Last Stand - I'm looking at you) and certainly primes things up for the next Wolverine movie as well as the next X-Men movie. A bit of revisionist history in this movie will be interesting to see how it plays out in future films. Much like Captain America 2 changes things for all Marvel movies going forward, this movie will change things for all X-Men movies (some might say for the better).</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Go See It.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sandra</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19px;">I just about cheered excitedly when Bobby morphed into IceMan and sprayed out a sheet of ice that he skated on as he fought the Sentinels. So cool! Man did that bring back memories of watching cartoons on Saturday mornings! While I've seen Storm, Cyclops and Frog all use your abilities before, it was nice to see some new mutants (at least none I've seen on screen) showcase their awesome abilities (I'm looking at you Blink and Warpath!). Looking forward to seeing more of them in future films.</span></span><br /><div id="UMS_TOOLTIP" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; cursor: pointer; left: -100000px; position: absolute; top: -100000px; z-index: 2147483647;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img class="UMSRatingIcon" id="ums_img_tooltip" /></span></div>Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-24220336001813480272014-05-02T20:42:00.001-04:002014-05-02T20:42:02.004-04:00Captain America 2 Review<a aria-haspopup="true" aria-owns="js_17" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=122352024462380" href="https://www.facebook.com/CaptainAmerica" id="js_18" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Captain America</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">&nbsp;is a thoroughly entertaining movie. Long review follows. No big spoilers (just minor ones).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">First, the bad. This movie suffers slightly from taking on too much and over-exposition, particularly one scene where the movie felt it needed to re-hash the plot from the first Captain America movie. As the scene unfolds, the story was revealed in a way that lent itself to this movie in a&nbsp;</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">plot-twisty sort of way that actually made its' inclusion make sense.<br /><br />There were a few slow parts but that didn't detract from the movie, in fact it allowed us to take break in between incredible! fight sequences and over-the-top action scenes. This also allowed time for our characters' struggles to be showcased as these would play out through the rest of the movie.<br /><br />Each main character has great personal development stories that built upon past movies and will have an impact on their future roles. Director Fury has his biggest role to date with a particularly great action scene and some fantastic line delivery that only Samuel L. Jackson could pull of.<br /><br />There were quite a few scenes reminiscent of the Avengers that had me asking (out loud), " Where is Iron Man?" lol…quite a bit happens in this movie that had me wondering where Tony Stark was, as plot developments in this movie surely would have an impact on his life. Yes, I am aware it is called Captain America.<br /><br />It remains to be seen how the effects of this movie will play out in future Marvel movies (as it will surely have an impact), the results of which we will see immediately on the tv show&nbsp;<a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=421182894613231" href="https://www.facebook.com/AgentsofShield" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.</a><br /><br />It was great to see Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier, and the aforementioned plot re-hashing from the first Captain America goes a long way to explain how 'Bucky' is alive and well in the 21st century. Kudos to the writers who created scenes from the past to showcase the unwavering friendship between Steve and Bucky. They added a bittersweet tinge to the rivalry between them in the present.<br /><br />The big thing that really stood out for me was the unprecedented fight sequences. You could tell a lot of long hours went into ensuring realism in the combat-style fights that Captain America takes part in throughout the movie. Not one, not two, but three huge Captain America fight scenes that left me cringing and looking away. You can tell Steve Rogers has been putting in some serious training. This is not a kid-friendly movie, the level of violence being upped tremendously in this second outing with the body count rising by the minute as the movie unfolds.<br /><br />But, once the movie is over and you have time to breathe, you realize the moral of the movie (the price of freedom equals great sacrifice) was really delivered upon with all the death and destruction. The movie advocates choice and freedom but never becomes preachy. It's enthralling, edge of your seat entertainment and nail-biting.<br /><br />I want to see this movie again just for the action scenes alone as they sometimes took my breath away. The best part is watching Captain America don his (original) suit and getting that no-nonsense look in his eyes as he blazes into battle. I cheered out loud quite a few times.<br /><br />My only caveat is I don't think it's worth seeing this movie in 3D as some of the earlier fight scenes get lost in the distraction of watching them in 3D. Other than that, really fun outing and definitely setting up for a great third act for this great American hero.<br /><br />Stick around for two end-credit scenes that set up nicely for the Avengers sequel and the eventual Captain America Act III movie.</span><br /><div id="UMS_TOOLTIP" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; cursor: pointer; left: -100000px; position: absolute; top: -100000px; z-index: 2147483647;"><img class="UMSRatingIcon" id="ums_img_tooltip" /></div>Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-14495848737291418832014-05-02T20:33:00.002-04:002014-05-02T20:47:13.911-04:00Amazing Spider-Man 2 ReviewAmazing Spider-Man 2 is first, and foremost, a love story and second, an action movie. Most of the story revolves around Gwen and Peter's relationship (for a good reason which I won't spoil here) with secondary subplots about Electro and Harry Osborn. They aren't used as filler to the romance angle, they're both used as catalysts for Peter's journey as he tried to figure out who his father was, how he can keep those he loves most safe and discover, in the process, who HE is. Truthfully, it's Spider-Man's journey as he tries to figure out who he truly is.<br /><br />It's a great coming-of-age story for Spider-Man so that he can become the hero we know he is. Andrew Garfield is phenomenal in this second outing. He really knows his character well and the guilt and fear that come with being hero and being responsible for other's safety. He and Sally Field just shine in the scenes they have together. Even Emma Stone is fantastic as the girlfriend to the superhero who must always take a backseat.<br /><br />Every main actor in this movie takes their material and runs with it. From newcomer Dane DeHann (Harry Osborne) to Jamie Foxx, each actor embraced their character and character flaws and bought life to them. Even without the special effects, the movie wins on drama alone.<br /><br />This drama could not be possible with some incredible writing. Emma and Andrew bring a real maturity to their relationship in this movie which I felt really helped grow Peter into the man he needs to be in order to be superhero the city needs him to be.<br /><br />And let's talk about the effects…No one makes swinging through skyscrapers more fun than Spider-Man does. Some really impressive shots in this movie, particularly the still shots of Spider-Man flying through the city (go see the movie for these alone). Cinematographically speaking, this movie surprises the first one hands down. Breathtaking views of the city that can only be seen through Spidey's eyes.<br /><br />My only issue with this movie was the constant use of slow-motion to really drive across what was happening. This occurred during some very inconvenient moments&nbsp;particularly&nbsp;during an awesome Electro-Spiderman showdown. I was yelling at the screen to just stop! Slow-mo is great for some scenes but there really is something to be said for over-doing it.<br /><br />Comic book fans will enjoy the after credit scene (just one) and probably cheer as this scene sets up Spiderman 3. Fans will revel in Peter Parker's ring-tone (hint hint..it's a theme song!). There were a few surprises that I enjoyed, particularly one that explained why Peter was affected the way he was when bit by the spider in the first movie. That was a nice surprise moment that actually made sense in the context of this film.<br /><br />This movie does suffer from being a bit bloated with quite a few stories interspersing throughout. Ultimately, they all come together at the end to allow for a very satisfying third act.<br /><br />I definitely recommend this movie but go in knowing that the movie spends quite a bit on the Gwen/Peter relationship and that the main villain is actually secondary to the plot. Other that that, enjoy it. It's well acted, well directed, has some phenomenal fight scenes and is a great entry in the Spiderman repertoire.<br /><div id="UMS_TOOLTIP" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; cursor: pointer; left: -100000px; position: absolute; top: -100000px; z-index: 2147483647;"><img class="UMSRatingIcon" id="ums_img_tooltip" /></div>Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-7590044398764339422014-04-22T11:26:00.003-04:002014-04-22T11:26:23.581-04:00Did you expect something different?As Albert Einstein said:<br />"Insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result."<br /><br />Apparently, I am insane.<br /><br />I have been doing the same thing over and over again, week in and week out, expecting a different result. Guess what? Result was the same! And I couldn't figure out why.<br /><br />Really, I could. I just didn't want to admit it.<br /><br />Change is scary. Really really scary.<br /><br />With routine, we have familiarity, calmness, serenity in knowing how things will work out. We know what will happen and so are not afraid.<br /><br />I think it's time to be afraid, change things up a bit, take a risk, break a leg (well, not literally - but that would definitely change things up), just do something different and scary as hell!<br /><br />Only then, can we feel alive!<br /><br />Today, I am insane.<br /><br />Tomorrow, I will not be.Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-60703019459293191722013-06-18T09:41:00.005-04:002014-05-02T20:38:07.228-04:00Be Thankful<div class="p1">Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,<br />If you did, what would there be to look forward to?</div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1">Be thankful when you don’t know something<br />For it gives you the opportunity to learn.</div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1">Be thankful for the difficult times.<br />During those times you grow.</div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1">Be thankful for your limitations<br />Because they give you opportunities for improvement.</div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1">Be thankful for each new challenge<br />Because it will build your strength and character.</div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1">Be thankful for your mistakes<br />They will teach you valuable lessons.</div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1">Be thankful when you’re tired and weary<br />Because it means you’ve made a difference.</div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1">It is easy to be thankful for the good things.<br />A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are</div><div class="p1"><br />also thankful for the setbacks.</div><div class="p1">GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.</div><div class="p1"><br />Find a way to be thankful for your troubles<br />and they can become your blessing</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p2">George Civello</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><br /><div class="p1">&nbsp;“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein</div><div id="UMS_TOOLTIP" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; cursor: pointer; left: -100000px; position: absolute; top: -100000px; z-index: 2147483647;"><img class="UMSRatingIcon" id="ums_img_tooltip" /></div>Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-146102090096896422013-06-17T09:52:00.001-04:002013-06-17T09:52:54.485-04:00Man of Steel - it IS the Superman movie we've been waiting for.<span class="userContent" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">It's bigger than we've ever seen in every aspect - it has great acting, a very solid storyline, some absolutely essential supporting acting, it's got TONS of suspense, it's very intense, some very sad moments, some great jokes, lots of references to keep the most die-hard fans engaged and the action (WOW! the action) is relentless du<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">ring the third act. Just when you think your heartbeat can settle down a bit, bam! Synder sucks you back for the final fight.<br /><br />I was put through a roller-coaster of emotions during the film. It caught hold of me from the beginning sequence and never let up.<br /><br />Not everyone is going to like it and I can see why. There were some liberties taken with the Superman mythology (just a few - no spoilers here). But, I loved it. As a re-boot, re-make, re-incarnation (insert whatever word you want to use), IT works and works fantastically well.<br /><br />Forget what you know about Superman and go enjoy this movie for the exceptional acting, storytelling and action. Everyone has said it before and I will agree, Henry Cavill IS Superman. When you see this movie, you will believe it too.</span></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="userContentSecondary fcg" style="color: #89919c;">&nbsp;—&nbsp;<img alt="" class="_agk img" height="16" src="https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/y9/r/01TjtkIxVPt.png" style="border: 0px; padding-right: 3px; vertical-align: -3px;" width="16" />feeling exhilarated.</span></span>Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-58638652712905733022013-05-28T10:07:00.001-04:002013-05-28T10:07:43.773-04:00What a wild ride<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">I saw The Fast and the Furious 6 yesterday. Never having watched any previous instalment of this franchise, and hence not getting most of the references in this movie, I still enjoyed myself immensely.&nbsp;</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">True, the dialogue was a bit silly at times, the plot predictable and you really need to suspend your disbelief at times. Yet, it was a wild ride from beginning to end. Some (most) of the stunt work blew my mind and this movie was funny, really funny (at least the audience I saw it with thought so).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">This was a movie I had no intention of seeing but found myself enjoying quite immensely. And, apparently, tied all the previous movies together in a nice little bow.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">With a set-up to a Fast and Furious 7 with Jason Statham (oops spoiler alert!), I feel the need to catch on the previous movies, if nothing else just to see some awesome car chases.</span>Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-63042926386162567912013-05-23T11:48:00.001-04:002013-05-23T11:48:53.853-04:00Are we just genetically engineered to be chronically unhappy?Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-90051319134070528392013-05-04T18:13:00.003-04:002013-05-04T18:13:25.460-04:00Iron Man 3 is a very enjoyable movie.<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">It's serious, fun, campy, over-the-top and doesn't take itself too seriously. It's full of fast-paced and humorous dialogue, it has some great moments, enough twists to keep you on your toes and some great scenes that had me cheering out loud. The action sequences alone are reason enough to go see this movie.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">&nbsp;</span><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">There are enough Easter eggs to keep the biggest fans entertained and enough dark humor to appease even the biggest cynics. This was a throwback to the original Iron Man movie and it made me want to watch it all over again.&nbsp;</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><br />I recommend seeing this movie on the big screen as that is the only way to full appreciate some of the more spectacular action scenes. Even knowing how these are filmed does not take away from the awe factor when you see it on the big screen.<br /><br />If this is how my Summer is shaping up, it's going to be a fantastic time to be at the movies.<br /><br />Iron Man 3 - 2 thumbs way up!</span>Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-6588206350010440652013-01-21T14:17:00.000-05:002013-01-21T14:17:32.823-05:0012 days with no coffee...and I am jonesing for a cup! Seriously jonesing.<br /><br />Ah well. This is all for the good of my health. And honestly, I do feel better overall.<br /><br />I have more energy, i don't feel as bloated anymore and i feel good. Mostly.<br /><br />This week will be the&nbsp;ultimate&nbsp;test as it is the second week and our food intake is even more&nbsp;restrictive&nbsp;than the first - mostly shake, fruits and veggies. I already feel hungry. But I am sticking to it.<br /><br />I am determined to make it through the three weeks. I want to see how good I can look and feel eating healthy choices. I think it'll be an awakening.<br /><br />Although I am still jonesing for that cup of coffee...Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-2638061338196588342013-01-12T19:31:00.001-05:002013-01-12T19:31:15.300-05:00Sometimes i think I'm going to starve...because I eat a lot in one sitting and I gobble it down like it's going to disappear in front of me if I don't. &nbsp;Do I actually&nbsp;believe&nbsp;I will starve if I don't eat lots of food? all at once? Sometimes i eat until I can no longer eat or feel..lol.<div><br /></div><div>This is something I&nbsp;have&nbsp;to watch while I am on the detox. Mind&nbsp;you, I will be eating&nbsp;healthy&nbsp;food but still. I always feel bloated regardless of what I eat. So, now I have to be cognizant of eating slowly and&nbsp;enjoying&nbsp;my food so I don't get bloated and I eat until I am almost full..and not full full!</div><div><br /></div><div>Today was a great&nbsp;example&nbsp;of eating too&nbsp;much&nbsp;and believing I will starve if I don't. I don't know why I do it but I do.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>In lieu of eating too much in future days, I will be writing my thoughts here to get me through the &nbsp;tough times...when I want that cookie or want that extra piece of chicken that I do not need!&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>So expect a lot of new posts as I start this new chapter towards a healthier life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cheers!</div><div>Sandra</div>Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-60180318414468252882013-01-10T16:42:00.000-05:002013-01-10T16:42:04.820-05:002013 - The year of SandraSo I decided to undergo a detox this year. Due to my overwhelming desire to eat gluten, I was always feeling bloated and generally not well. And I just had enough of it. <br /><br />It was time to feel well and look well. So I found a very supporting group of people who have chosen to embark on this quest with me for a healthier life.<br /><br />I start my detox on Sunday and am nervous, anxious and excited. I'm writing this here so I can be accountable to whoever reads it. So that, when I am tempted to eat something I cannot, I will come here and tell anyone who will listen how I feel and how I want to be healthy for life so that I will not eat the "forbidden fruit" - so to speak. <br /><br />Wish me luck as I start the healthy year of Sandra. Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-32790364637404609332012-05-22T17:20:00.000-04:002012-05-22T17:20:36.622-04:00Time to move on...After 9.5 years at OSL, I am leaving to pursue another adventure. <br>I have made great friends, have had great times, great conversations and many many laughs (usually at inappropriate times!) but nonetheless...it's a bittersweet farewell.<br>Thank you to everyone who has enriched my life both personally and professionally.<br>See you on the other side!Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-7316709082794030172012-04-19T14:57:00.000-04:002012-04-19T15:47:28.062-04:00Oprah's Life Class: 10 life-changing lessons I learned1. Practice gratitude. Oprah keeps a gratitude journal, where she writes down at least five things she’s grateful for every day. Research shows that writing down and appreciating the things in your life will help you see the good in things and be a happier person.<br /><br />2. Delete the negative. If you constantly feel frustrated, annoyed or pissed off or you’re always blaming others for your bad mood, it might be time to re-examine and reframe how you view things. Consider your role in things before you immediately put the blame on someone or something else.<br /><br />3. Change is good. If life throws you a curve ball, choose to look at the experience as an opportunity, no matter what.<br /><br />4. Decisions, not conditions, determine your destiny. How you live your life is your choice. You decide what drives you and what destroys you. You have 100 percent control over every action you make and you’re 100 percent responsible for every emotion you feel. No one else. Nope. No one.<br /><br />5. Everybody has a story. Your story is the set of beliefs and experiences you carry with you and tell yourself. “I’m not good enough. I don’t deserve success because [fill in the blank].” Tony Robins says if you want to change your life, you have to change your story.<br /><br />6. Trade expectation for appreciation. As soon as you put expectations on someone or something else, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Appreciate what others do or don’t do for you, but never expect it.<br /><br />7. Pay attention to the energy and emotions YOU bring to every experience. If you're filled with anger, ask yourself what's missing in your life. Then try to reframe experiences to see the positive or the learning in it. Be more than your circumstances.<br /><br />8. Happiness is contagious. Surround yourself with happy, positive people, and watch your own happiness levels grow. But remember misery also loves company, so steer clear of people and situations that bring out the worst in you.<br /><br />9. Failure is the result of a lack of resourcefulness. No it’s not the people or the deadline or the lack of money. Failure happens when there’s a lack of creativity, passion, determination or commitment. Look inside, not outside and see the opportunity for yourself in failure.<br /><br />10. Live in PAIN. That’s right: Pay. Attention. Inward. Now. Examine and re-examine how you live, and how you feel emotionally, physically and mentally. If you live on purpose, it will be easy and you’ll feel great. If not, start to peel away the layers of your story, your belief system, and make room in your life to be your best you. <br /> <br />Laurie Jennings is the executive editor and health editor of Chatelaine magazine.Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-53888660708078249932012-04-03T09:34:00.000-04:002012-04-03T09:41:26.532-04:00Motivation<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EMACkl28pFQ/T3r9-RQmIQI/AAAAAAAAE1w/bAwSHO3XhtA/s1600/FindaWay.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EMACkl28pFQ/T3r9-RQmIQI/AAAAAAAAE1w/bAwSHO3XhtA/s320/FindaWay.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727169122381734146" /></a>Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-5105632124295019532012-03-16T10:34:00.002-04:002012-03-16T10:35:53.738-04:00This is the Distillery DistrictBy Sandra M. Pereira<br /><br />TORONTO, Ontario --- The Distillery District looks like any other group of brick buildings in downtown Toronto. A passerby wouldn't look twice at the Victorian-inspired architecture. What makes this particular group of buildings unique is attributed to the work and passion of the CityScape Holdings and Dundee Property Companies who purchased the buildings in 2003. Their mandate was to create an auto-free community of shops and cafes, a space where local artists can show their craft. Today, the Distillery District is known as a 'pedestrian-oriented arts, culture and entertainment neighbourhood'. The uniqueness of the Distillery District is due largely to its rich history.<br /><br />In 1831, an experienced miller named James Worts and his brother-in-law, William Gooderham, emigrated from England to build upon a successful milling business. This became the first venture for the Gooderham and Worts partnership, which comprised of grounding up wheat into flour and selling it to local bakeries. Two years later, James Worts’ wife dies during childbirth and he takes his own life by throwing himself down the company well. William Gooderham chose to continue the business by partnering with James Worts’ eldest son. During a year where they saw an increase in the harvest of grain, they were inspired to make their own whiskey. It was so successful, brewing and distilling became their primary business. <br /><br />This led to the addition of several buildings to the area: an icehouse, a cooper shop, a dairy, a wharf, flourmills, and two red-brick storehouses. In 1862, the Gooderham and Worts Distillery, in its first full year of production, made some 700,000 imperial gallons of spirits. It was considered to be a quarter of all the spirits produced in Canada at that time. By 1871, they were producing half of the total spirits production in Ontario and the Gooderham and Worts Distillery had become the largest distillery in the world. It was considered to be one of Toronto's largest employers at the time.<br /><br />By 1882, both William Gooderham and James Worts Jr. had passed away and the Distillery was passed onto Gooderham’s son, George. George Gooderham continued to build on their success until World War I forced him to convert the Distillery's operations to manufacturing acetone. Once the war ended, the prohibition era brought production of alcohol beverages to a standstill. This effectively shut down the Distillery until 1923 when Harry C. Hatch purchased the business and re-focused its energy into making the Canadian Club brand of whiskey, which resulted in the addition of the tank and rack houses whose facades are still intact 100 years later.<br /><br />The Distillery changed hands a few times over the course of the next 70 years and it shifted production from whiskey to rum. After 153 years of continuous production, the Gooderham & Worts Distillery ceased operations in 1990. Throughout the 90's to 2001, The Distillery became the number one film location in Canada. Many film studios sought to use the Victorian architecture as background in their films which included The X-Men: Part 1, Cinderella Man, Chicago, The Recruit, and television series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Due South, and The Murdoch Mysteries.<br /><br />In 2001, CityScape Holdings and Dundee Property Companies partnered together to restore the Distillery. In 2003, the Distillery Historic District re-opened as the largest pedestrian-only village for arts, culture and entertainment. The new owners refused to lease any of their space to national brands or franchises; therefore, the majority of the buildings are occupied with unique boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, cafés and their own microbrewery, the Mill Street Brewery. Here, you will find unique experiences such as the Sake Brewery, Soma Chocolate & Gelato (who make their own chocolate on-site) and a new theatre, the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, which serves as the home of the Soulpepper Theatre Company. <br /><br />Today, the Distillery District's 14 acres is home to 18 retails stores and boutiques, five cafes, seven restaurants and 22 art galleries. You will also find 17 performing art companies and 4 educational facilities. The Distillery District is a National Historic Site and has been designated for protection under the Ontario Heritage Act since 1976. It represents the largest collection of Victorian-industrial architecture in North America. It is home to the most unique festival line-ups in Canada, arts festivals, farmers markets and beer tasting events. <br /><br />The Distillery District may look like any other group of brick buildings in the downtown area but its Victorian-inspired architecture shows us a window into the early days of Toronto’s history. An important contributor to the growth and wealth of Toronto, the Distillery District helped create the vibrant city it is today.Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-53674939343282358802012-01-16T10:52:00.001-05:002012-01-16T10:57:18.091-05:00MI4 Delivers Bigtime!For someone who originally did not want to see MI4, I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It's an action-packed ride from beginning to end with more laughs than an MI movie should have but meh. It was highly entertaining and am actually hoping for an MI5 after seeing this one. Two thumbs up!<br /><br />http://www.thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/Review+Mission+Impossible+Ghost+Protocol/5866535/story.htmlSandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-46290586114867699792012-01-09T10:16:00.000-05:002012-01-09T10:17:11.687-05:00A SMILE FOR YOU!Smiling is infectious; you catch it like the flu,<br />When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too.<br />I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin, <br />When he smiled I realized I'd passed it on to him. <br />I thought about that smile then I realized it's worth, <br />A single smile, just like mine could travel round the earth. <br />So, if you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected. <br />Let's start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected!! <br /><br />*Found on Internet.Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-63720159964176974632011-11-23T08:51:00.009-05:002011-11-23T09:32:00.218-05:00Letter to PaulGosh, were you ever sweet. Sweet and funny and shy and outspoken and carefree all wrapped up in a cute packaging. And I didn't know what to do with you. You baffled me on a daily basis. I think it was mostly because you were not afraid to say what was on your mind. That baffled me. How is it possible that at 17 you knew how you felt? You were 17! You shouldn't have those emotions for another 10 years, if that.<br /><br />At 19, I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I certainly didn't know anything about feelings. I was 19. I felt fine. But love? How would I know what that's like at 19. Yes, I did believe I loved my boyfriend. Heck, I'd even planned the wedding and the 3.5 kids. But, that, that was easy. I thought I knew what I wanted at 19. Boy, did you ever mess that plan up.<br /><br />I don't think I knew how a relationship was supposed to be until I met you. You were 'sincere' is the only word I can think to describe it. Sincere in your words, in your actions, in your non-words. You spoke volumes with your eyes without saying a word. You scared me. You scared me so much I ran. I ran to be with someone who I thought knew me. But no one knew me the way you did.<br /><br />You knew me better than I did. It's only now, 20 years later, that I understand it. And now, I wish I could see you again to say thank you. Thank you for showing me how to love.<br /><br />Call me.Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7252914773926522239.post-40264087595296987552011-11-16T14:15:00.007-05:002011-11-16T14:23:05.814-05:00In the photo, I see me.In the photo, I see me. Exhausted, happy, relieved me. What a goal! 21.1 kilometres frozen in time in a moment that would last a lifetime. I see joy, glee, pride and a pretty confident person with a beaming smile. I did it!<br /><br />Ha! to all you naysayers who said I couldn't, wouldn't do it. Ha! to the nagging self-doubt that constantly creeped into my training runs over the last few months. Ha! to the rain that started the day and the humidity that ended it. "I beat you". Haha. Damn, that medal looks good on me!<br /><br />What I don't see is the sweat, the tears, the nagging self-doubt at kilometre 15 that I would be able to finish this race. I don't see the aches, the pains, the soreness, the months of running uphill while my thighs burned, the all too familiar awful taste of blue Gatorade as I eagerly gulped it down or the fear that I would never get here; to the race, the start, the running, the finish. <br /><br />I started too fast (as usual) and really debated whether I would finish the race when at kilometer 19, I stopped. Just stopped, refusing to take another step; the weight of the last 2 kilometres weighing on my shoulders. I couldn't' go on. I didn't want to. Someone near me cheered some encouragement. I turned to glare at her. 'Don't tell me I'm almost there'. 'I am not almost there!' There is still 2 kilometres of hell to go before I get there. She turned to cheer on someone else.<br /><br />I had 2 kilometres to go and I was tired but I couldn't give up. One step...two step...one step...another step. Just keep going even if you have to walk or crawl the last 2 kilometres. One step..2 step...okay now run a little, ok walk..but keep walking. Legs burning, lungs burning, the Sound of Madness throbbing through my head...'but keep going'. <br /><br />Then, I saw the Sign. 'Finish' was all it said. 'Finish'.<br /><br />As I crossed the Finish line, exhaustion, sweat, tears streaming down my face, I had one thought and one thought only. <br /><br />'I Am A Runner.'Sandra's Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06426957723001484144noreply@blogger.com0